Skip to main content

Story: Whenua – how the land was shaped

Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu

Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu

Tongariro, in the foreground, is said by some to have battled with a number of mountains, one of whom was Ngāuruhoe, immediately behind Tongariro. In a different tradition, Ruapehu, in the background, was married to Mt Taranaki, but had an affair with Tongariro.

Using this item

GNS Science

Reference: CN5312/14

by Lloyd Homer

Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Whenua – how the land was shaped – Battle of the mountains, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6731/tongariro-ngauruhoe-and-ruapehu (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 2 March 2009.